Department for Transport

International Driving Permits

baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many International Driving Permits were in issued in (1) 2015, and (2) 2016.

baroness sugg: International Driving Permits (IDPs) in the formats specified in the 1949 Geneva Convention and the 1926 Paris Convention which the UK is party to are currently issued under the authority of the Secretary of State by the AA and the RAC. The Department for Transport does not hold or collect year-on-year figures for IDP issuance, but understands that approximately 110,000 IDPs were issued in 2016 with almost 100,000 of these being issued via Post Office counters under a contract with the AA. These figures cover both convention formats. The vast majority of IDPs are issued in the 1949 Convention format, as the 1926 Convention only currently applies in three countries.

Vehicle Number Plates

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much income they received from the sale of private number plates in each year since 2010.

baroness sugg: The table below shows the income, exclusive of VAT, which the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has passed to HM Treasury as Consolidated Fund Extra Receipts from the sale of private registration numbers since April 2010:Financial Year Net Income Passed to HM Treasury from Sale of Personalised Registrations 2010/1170,405,0002011/1258,209,0002012/1357,084,0002013/1464,322,0002014/1579,591,0002015/1696,657,0002016/17110,059,000

Vehicle Number Plates

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many trade licence plates have been approved by the DVLA; and how many arecurrently in use.

baroness sugg: The trade licensing scheme allows motor traders to use vehicles that are temporarily in their possession without the need to register and license each vehicle. A trade plate must be displayed on the vehicle, and each trade plate must be supported by a valid trade licence. Between January and November 2017, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency approved 11,051 new applications for trade licences and trade plates. During the same period, 54,483 trade licences were renewed for use with existing trade plates.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Statutory Off Road Notifications were received by the DVLA in (1) 2015, (2) 2016, and (3) 2017.

baroness sugg: The table below shows the number of Statutory Off-Road Notifications received by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency over the last three calendar years. Figures for 2017 are only available from January to November.  20152016Jan-Nov 2017Number of Statutory off Road Notifications3,410,4833,625,9013,519,333

Large Goods Vehicles: Taxation

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government whathas beenthe total amount raised by the heavy goods vehicle road user levy since April 2014.

baroness sugg: The HGV Levy has raised £744 million between April 2014, when it began, and November 2017, which is the most recent month we have figures for.

Motor Vehicles: Inspections

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many vehicles have been inspected using the Operator Compliance Risk Score since 2015.

baroness sugg: In 2015, there were 48,726 vehicles inspected (40,725 lorries and 8,001 buses/coaches). In 2016, there were 43,082 vehicles inspected (33,422 lorries and 9,660 buses/coaches). In 2017, (to 22 December) there have been 42,885 vehicles inspected (31,920 lorries and 10,965 buses/coaches).

Axle Weights: Weighing Equipment

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many weighbridges there are in the UK.

baroness sugg: There are 51 weighbridges at Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency sites in Great Britain used for enforcement purposes.

Monarch Airlines: Insolvency

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whetherthey intend to investigate the interest rates set on loans from shareholders to Monarch Airlines Group and determine whether those rates were reasonable in terms of protecting the rights of creditors, employees, pensioners and other stakeholders.

baroness sugg: The Insolvency Service’s enquiries into the insolvency of Monarch are ongoing and it continues to liaise with the administrators and the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to establish the facts surrounding the administration of Monarch Airlines Group.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Tax Evasion

the earl of sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance they have given to (1) the government of Pakistan and Federal Board of Revenue of Pakistan, and (2) British Overseas Territories, on preventing tax evasion and exposing corruption, following the leaks known as the Panama and Paradise papers.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Her Majesty's Government works with partners globally to address the serious issues of tax evasion and corruption.The UK is supporting the Government of Pakistan to make tax reforms, widen the tax net and improve collection in order to better provide for their citizens.UK Overseas Territories (OTs) with significant financial centres committed in 2016, to exchanging information with HMRC as well as to holding beneficial ownership information in central registers or similarly effective systems, and to provide UK law enforcement authorities with automatic access to such information. These arrangements are in the process of being implemented fully by the OTs.

Bahrain: Detainees

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 12 December (HL3727), in describing the Bahrain Ombudsman for the Ministry of the Interior as "independent", whether they took account of the report of the UN Committee against Torture, published on 29 May, which states that "these bodies are not independent" and "complaints ultimately pass through the Ministry of the Interior".

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Government takes note of a number of sources of information on this issue, including publications by the United Nations.We believe that the oversight bodies in Bahrain, including the Ministry of Interior Ombudsman, are structured so that they are able to operate independently from the organisations that they oversee.

Northern Ireland Office

Public Expenditure: Northern Ireland

baroness suttie: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will make a decision, if required,on a Northern Ireland Budget for the financial year 2018–19; and what steps they intend to take to provide adequate consultation mechanisms.

lord duncan of springbank: To maintain effective public services in Northern Ireland, it is important that a balanced budget is able to be set for the 2018-19 financial year. That was highlighted by the Northern Ireland Civil Service’s briefing document on the 2018-19 Budget, published on 18 December 2017. That set out the important decisions that would be required to set a budget and sought views from the public by the end of the month about the approach that should be taken. We want to see that Budget taken forward by a restored Executive, taking the important decisions required in the interests of the whole community. We will work intensively in the coming weeks with that aim in mind.

Attorney General

Hate Crime: Prosecutions

lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 6 December (HL Deb, col 1050), whether the definition of hate crime adopted by the Crown Prosecution Service to facilitate the reporting of incidents is wider than the legal definition of such crime under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and the Criminal Justice Act 2003; if so, how; and upon what authority it wasissued.

lord keen of elie: The flagging definition for hate crime was agreed between the CPS and the NPCC (ACPO as it was then) in 2007. It is wider than the definition set out in legislation to ensure that all relevant cases are captured.The flagging definition comes from the recommended definition in the Macpherson report published in 1999 as a result of the inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence. The Macpherson report recommended that ‘this definition should be universally adopted by the Police, local Government and other relevant agencies’.This recommendation in the Macpherson report was welcomed by the Government at the time and the current Government remains in support of this position. The CPS has worked with police to implement the recommended definition across all strands of hate crime. The CPS takes tackling hate crime seriously and recognises the need to increase public confidence to report. The flagging definition is important in achieving this aim.In order for a crime to be charged and prosecuted as a hate crime, the CPS uses the legal definitions contained in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 (CDA 1998) and the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (CJA 2003). This means that not every incident that the victim or another person has perceived to be a hate crime will actually be a hate crime in law.The CPS legal guidance recognises the potential impact of prosecutions on Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (the right to freedom of expression). The CPS must balance the rights of an individual to freedom of speech against the duty of the state to act proportionately and to protect the rights of others.

Hate Crime: Prosecutions

lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 6 December (HL Deb, col 1051), whether the Baroness Vere of Norbiton has written to the Director of Public Prosecutions as indicated; and if so, what response has been received.

lord keen of elie: Baroness Vere of Norbiton wrote to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on 13 December 2017. The DPP provided her response on 9 January 2018.In her response, the DPP confirmed that the flagging definition for hate crime was agreed between the CPS and the NPCC (ACPO as it was then) in 2007 and that it is wider than the definition set out in legislation to ensure all relevant cases are captured.The CPS adopted the recommended definition in the Macpherson report published in 1999 as a result of the inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence. The Macpherson report also recommended that ‘this definition should be universally adopted by the Police, local Government and other relevant agencies’.This recommendation in the Macpherson report was welcomed by the Government at the time and the current Government remains in support of this position. The CPS has worked with police to implement the recommended definition across all strands of hate crime. The CPS takes tackling hate crime seriously and recognises the need to increase public confidence to report. The flagging definition is important in achieving this aim.In order for a crime to be charged and prosecuted as a hate crime, the CPS uses the legal definitions contained in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 (CDA 1998) and the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (CJA 2003). This means that not every incident that the victim or another person has perceived to be a hate crime will actually be a hate crime in law.In her letter, the DPP also confirmed that the CPS legal guidance recognises the potential impact of prosecutions on Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (the right to freedom of expression). The CPS must balance the rights of an individual to freedom of speech against the duty of the state to act proportionately and to protect the rights of others.

Department for Education

Social Workers: Training

baroness whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Agnew of Oulton on 13 December (HL3750), what progress they have made in developing a continuous professional development programme for social workers; and where details of that programme can be accessed.

baroness whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Agnew of Oulton on 13 December (HL3750), what guidance on (1)the cultures of specific minority ethnic communities, and (2) understanding different minority cultures, is provided to social workers who assess children for care or adoption.

lord agnew of oulton: Ensuring children are safe is our priority. Councils are expected to place children with foster parents who are best suited to their needs. For adoption, courts and adoption agencies must have regard to any of a child’s characteristics. This could include a child’s religious persuasion, racial origin, and cultural and linguistic background if thought relevant. Adoption agencies must work within the national regulatory frameworks, exercise their own professional judgement and develop their own policies to meet local needs. This is set out in the attached ‘Statutory Guidance on Adoption’ and can be found in Chapter 4. The department commissioned the consultancy Mott Macdonald to produce materials for continuing professional development of social workers in achieving permanence. This contract was completed in December, with significant input from an expert working group of sector representatives. The department will consider how to take this forward in due course. This is in addition to the Assessed and Supported Year in Education programme, available to all newly qualified children and family social workers, the Practice Leaders Development Programme, and the Practice Supervisors Development Programme, which is currently under development.   



Adoption -Statutory Guidance 
(PDF Document, 1023.63 KB)

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners: Mothers

baroness fall: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of female prisoners held for non-violent crimes are mothers with children under the age of 18 in (1) England, and (2) Wales; and what percentage of those children were taken into care following their mother's imprisonment in (a) England, and (b) Wales.

lord keen of elie: As of 30 September 2017, 73% of all female prisoners (including those held on remand) were held for a non-violent offence (i.e. assuming that a non-violent offence refers to all offence groups besides the ‘Violence Against The Person’ offence group). There are only women’s prisons in England, therefore the data cannot be broken down to show female prisoners in Wales. Regarding the percentage of female prisoners held for a non-violent offence who are mothers of children under the age of 18 and what percentage of those children were taken into care following their mother's imprisonment, the information requested is not held centrally.

Prisoners: Females

baroness fall: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of women in prison are re-offenders in (1) England, and (2) Wales; and of those, what percentage are in prison for non-violent crimes.

lord keen of elie: As of 30 June 2016, 78% of adult women in prison under immediate custodial sentence had a previous conviction or caution. This data is published and can be found in table A1.19 here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/633160/population-2017.xlsx The information in the table refers to prisoners in both England and Wales, however please note there are no women’s prisons in Wales. Regarding what percentage of women with a previous conviction are incarcerated for non-violent crimes, the information requested could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.



Table A1.19
(Excel SpreadSheet, 30.32 KB)

Prisons

lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government which prisons and young offenders institutions have confined prisoners to their cells for more than 22 hours per day on any day in the last three months; and what was the number of days in each instance.

lord keen of elie: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The Government is fully committed to making our prisons safe so that they can provide the maximum time out of cell for meaningful and purposeful activity to give prisoners the training, skills and work experience needed on release.

Prisons: Education

lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government which prisons and young offenders institutionshave cancelled educational activities as a result of staff shortages on any day in the last three months; and what was the number of days in each instance.

lord keen of elie: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. A key priority for HMPPS is to make our prisons safe so that they can provide the maximum time out of cell for meaningful and purposeful activity to give prisoners the education, training, skills and work experience to enable them to obtain employment on release to their home areas. The new consistent core day models optimise the time available to provide appropriate regimes and to staff them efficiently.

Prisoners: Health Services

lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many medical appointments have been missed by prisoners as a result of a shortage of escort staffin each prison and young offender institutionin each of the last three months.

lord keen of elie: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The Government is fully committed to making our prisons deliver safe and decent regimes and is actively taking the measures necessary to ensure that. External escorts which include hospital appointments are profiled based on the agreement between the individual establishment and the healthcare provider. We do not hold data showing missed medical appointments and would need to request this from each establishment. We are boosting the number of prison officers by 2,500 and we have already reached the halfway mark.

Wandsworth Prison

the lord bishop of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of prisoners on custodial sentence at Her Majesty’s Prison Wandsworth, other than segregated prisoners, spent at least 22 hours locked in their cell on any day in the latest month for which figures are available.

lord keen of elie: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The Government is fully committed to making our prisons safe so that they can provide the maximum time out of cell for meaningful and purposeful activity to give prisoners the training, skills and work experience needed on release.

Wandsworth Prison

the lord bishop of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of prisoners on custodial sentence at Her Majesty’s Prison Wandsworth were unlocked for at leastsix hours each weekday in the latest month for which figures are available

lord keen of elie: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The Government is fully committed to making our prisons safe so that they can provide the maximum time out of cell for meaningful and purposeful activity to give prisoners the training, skills and work experience needed on release.

Wandsworth Prison

the lord bishop of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many serious assaults by inmates on one another at Her Majesty’s Prison Wandsworthwere recorded in each of the last two years for which figures are available.

lord keen of elie: In 2015, 9 serious prisoner-on-prisoner assaults were recorded at HMP Wandsworth. In 2016, the number was 22. The level of violence in prisons is too high. We will improve prison safety and address the significant overall increase in the number of assaults, by providing additional staff and giving them the tools and training that will help to reduce violence.

Wandsworth Prison

the lord bishop of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many incidents of self-harm by inmates at Her Majesty’s Prison Wandsworthwere recorded in each of the last two years for which figures are available.

lord keen of elie: In 2015, 91 incidents of self-harm were recorded at HMP Wandsworth. In 2016, the number was 118. The Government takes very seriously its responsibility to keep prisoners safe. We have established a prison safety programme that includes a comprehensive set of actions, including: rolling out revised and improved training for staff in assessing and managing the risk of suicide and self-harm amongst prisoners; improving support for prisoners in their early days in custody; revising the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork case management process for those identified as being at risk; and funding the Samaritans to provide their valuable Listeners Scheme.

Wandsworth Prison

the lord bishop of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prison staff at bands 3 to 5 were assigned to Her Majesty's Prison Wandsworth; and how many vacancies there were in each of the last two years for which figures are available.

lord keen of elie: The number of band 3-5 prison staff at HMP Wandsworth as at 30 September 2016 and as at 30 September 2017 is provided in the table below: Table 1: Number of full-time equivalent (FTE) bands 3 to 5 staff working at HMP Wandsworth, as at 30 September 2016 and as at 30 September 2017 GradeFTE as at 30 September 2016FTE as at 30 September 2017   Bands 3-5*355383  *Includes staff in operational and non-operational band 3 to 5 grades. These figures for 30 September 2016 and 30 September 2017 can also be found in the in:Table 12 of the NOMS workforce statistics bulletin at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/567179/noms-workforce-statistics-tables-september-2016.xlsxTable 12 of the HMPPS workforce statistics bulletin at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/her-majestys-prison-and-probation-service-workforce-quarterly-september-2017Staff shortfalls (ie. vacancies) previously presented in NOMS/HMPPS workforce statistics have been based on the difference between staff benchmarks and staff in post figures. However, staff benchmarks previously in place are no longer in use and are being replaced by new target staffing levels under the new Offender Management in custody model. At present, the target staffing levels are not sufficiently developed and work is ongoing in order to further develop these.The last set of published benchmark levels and staff shortfalls, as at 31 March 2017, showed that there was a shortfall of 38 full time equivalent band 3-5 prison staff at HMP Wandsworth. This information forms part of the table 14 at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-offender-management-service-workforce-quarterly-march-2017

Wandsworth Prison

the lord bishop of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) operational prison staff at each of bands (a) 3, (b) 4, and (c) 5, are employed at Her Majesty's Prison Wandsworth,(2) operational staff on detached duty from other establishments, and (3) vacancies for such posts, there were for each of the last two years for which figures are available.

lord keen of elie: The number of band 3-5 operational prison staff at HMP Wandsworth are provided in the table below: Table 1: Number of full-time equivalent (FTE) bands 3 to 5 prison officers working at HMP Wandsworth, as at 30 September 2016 and as at 30 September 2017 GradeFTE as at 30 September 2016FTE as at 30 September 2017 Band 3-4 / Prison Officer (incl. specialists)212240Band 4 / Supervising Officer3129Band 5 / Custodial Managers1817 These figures for 30 September 2016 and 30 September 2017 can also be found in the in:Table 12 of the NOMS workforce statistics bulletin at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/567179/noms-workforce-statistics-tables-september-2016.xlsxTable 12 of the HMPPS workforce statistics bulletin at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/her-majestys-prison-and-probation-service-workforce-quarterly-september-2017  There were approximately 13 operational staff on detached duty in HMP Wandsworth as at 30 September 2016 and none as at 30 September 2017. This data is collated and held internally by the National Detached Duty team which oversees national Detached Duty arrangements.Staff shortfalls (ie. vacancies) previously presented in NOMS/HMPPS workforce statistics have been based on the difference between staff benchmarks and staff in post figures. However, staff benchmarks previously in place are no longer in use and are being replaced by new target staffing levels under the new Offender Management in custody model. At present, the target staffing levels are not sufficiently developed and work is ongoing in order to further develop these. The last set of published benchmark levels and staff shortfalls, as at 31 March 2017, showed that there was a shortfall of 26 full time equivalent band 3-5 prison officers. This information can also be found in table 14 at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-offender-management-service-workforce-quarterly-march-2017

Home Office

Muslim Brotherhood

lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Marlesford on 7 December (HL Deb, col 1270), whether a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mr Ibrahim Munir, is living in London; and whether they intend to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organisation.

baroness williams of trafford: In order to safeguard an individual’s personal information and comply with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998, the Home Office is unable to provide information on an individual when a request is made by someone who is not the data subject or their legal representative. The Home Office is therefore unable to comment on [Mr Ibrahim Munir’s] particular caseWhilst we keep the list of proscribed groups under review, we do not routinely comment on whether an organisation is or is not under consideration for proscription.

HM Treasury

Treasury: Buildings

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government on which occasions in the last ten years they have given an official Treasury platform to someone convicted of a criminal charge in a court in another EU country.

lord bates: HM Treasury does not hold any information of this kind on external stakeholders who may have spoken at HM Treasury events in the last 10 years.

Economic Growth

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were (1) the International Monetary Fund predictions of the UK growth rate, and (2) the actual growth rate, over thelast five years.

lord bates: Forecasts for UK GDP growth published in the International Monetary Fund’s World Economic Outlook over the last five years are summarised in the table below.  GDP growth (%)20132014201520162017Growth rate2.13.12.31.9 IMF forecastsApr 20130.71.5   Oct 20131.41.9   Apr 2014 2.92.5  Oct 2014 3.22.7  Apr 2015  2.72.3 Oct 2015  2.52.2 Apr 2016   1.92.2Oct 2016   1.81.1Apr 20172.0Oct 20171.7

Treasury: International Monetary Fund

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government on which dates during the last seven years they have hosted the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the Treasuryforthe IMF to launch a report on the British economy.

lord bates: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) undertakes regular consultations on each of its member countries, usually every year, as part of its country surveillance function, under Article IV of the IMF’s Articles of Agreement. During the last seven years, concluding statements of IMF Article IV missions to the UK have been published, accompanied by an IMF press conference hosted at HM Treasury, on 6 June 2011, 22 May 2012, 22 May 2013, 6 June 2014, 11 December 2015, 13 May 2016 and 20 December 2017.

Construction: Taxation

baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many contractors are registered with the Construction Industry Scheme.

lord bates: The number of registered contractors who were active in the financial year 2016-17 was approximately 175,000.

National Insurance Contributions: British Nationals Abroad

baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people who work overseas have opted to pay National Insurance contributions.

lord bates: People who have left the UK to work overseas may be able to pay Class 2 National Insurance contributions (NICs) voluntarily. The most recent estimate is that around 20,000 people working overseas have paid Class 2 NICs voluntarily for the 2015-16 tax year.

Insurance

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measuresthey are taking to ensure that insurance providers can lawfully operate and fulfil their contractual obligations after Brexit.

lord bates: The government is working to ensure continuity of cross-border contracts in all financial services sectors, including insurance. Much of the detail of the arrangements remains a matter for the negotiation process.However, on 20 December 2017 the government announced that, if necessary, it will bring forward secondary legislation which will enable European Economic Area (EEA) firms and funds operating in the UK to obtain a “temporary permission” to continue their activities in the UK for a limited period after EU withdrawal.Alongside the temporary permissions regime, the government will also bring forward secondary legislation, if necessary, to ensure that contractual obligations such as insurance contracts which are not covered by the regime can continue to be met.

Overseas Trade

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measuresthey are taking to encourage and facilitate more companies attaining authorised economic operator (AEO) status, as well as to address any concerns that HMRC might not have the capacity to cope with a potential surge of AEO applications following Brexit.

lord bates: HMRC is encouraging companies to explore how EU Exit may impact their business and consider carefully the suitability of different customs authorisations and simplifications available, including AEO status, as part of their planning against a range of EU Exit scenarios. HMRC is actively looking at ways to facilitate more companies attaining AEO status and is building into its resource planning potential for increased AEO applications. In Future Customs Arrangements: A Future Partnership Paper (August 2017) and the Customs Bill White Paper (October 2017), the Government set out two broad approaches to a future customs relationship to the EU. Under one of these approaches, the highly streamlined customs arrangement, the Government would seek mutual recognition of authorised economic operator (AEO) status with the EU.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Brexit: Impact Assessments

lord jay of ewelme: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide copies of the 39 Brexit sectoral analyses, which were provided to the European Union Committee on 27 November, to relevant committees of the Scottish Parliament and the National Assembly for Wales.

lord jay of ewelme: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the terms on which they provided copies of the 39 Brexit sectoral analyses to the governments of Scotland and Wales allow those governments to share the analyses with relevant committees of the Scottish Parliament and the National Assembly of Wales.

lord callanan: We have provided sectoral information to Parliament as required by the motion passed by the House of Commons on 1 November.As we made clear in our written ministerial statement on 28 November, the same information was shared with the devolved administrations. The Secretary of State for Exiting the EU has written to the devolved administrations to explain that under the Osmotherly Rules the reports are now the property of the Committees.

Court of Justice of the European Union

baroness manzoor: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cases involving the UK the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) gave rulings on in (1) 2015, (2) 2016, and (3) 2017 to date; what were the broad subject-matters covered by those actions; and what proportion of the CJEU’s rulings in those cases went in the UK’s favour.

lord callanan: From 2015 to present, the UK has received judgments in 161 cases on which it made submissions. The annual figures are as follows: ● 54 judgments in 2015;● 48 judgments in 2016; and● 57 judgments in 2017. The cases included in these figures covered a wide range of subjects. The subjects covered included VAT, competition law, international sanctions, citizens’ rights, consumer protection, the four freedoms, the common agricultural policy, transport, food standards, equalities, data protection, asylum and immigration, and international private law. These figures include all cases in which the UK made written submissions, and are not limited to cases in which the UK was a party, or cases referred to the CJEU from UK courts. They involve abstract questions of EU law, and are not expressly for or against the UK. Nonetheless, we estimate that the Court mostly or completely followed the UK’s submissions in approximately 50% of the judgments in this period.

Brexit: British Overseas Territories

lord luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether thetransitional arrangements that will be sought for the UK as part of the EU withdrawal agreement will cover (1) Gibraltar, and (2) all other UK Overseas Territories.

lord callanan: As the Prime Minister has set out, we are seeking a strictly time-limited implementation period as part of our withdrawal negotiations, to provide certainty and stability for both people and businesses - in the UK and in the EU - to adjust to the new arrangements in a smooth and orderly way. The Prime Minister said clearly in the House on 18 December that we are not going to exclude Gibraltar from our negotiations for either the implementation period or the future agreement. It is the UK’s consistent position that our negotiations extend to include UK Overseas Territories, including Gibraltar, in those areas where their association with the EU is affected.

UK Trade with EU

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the annual level of exports to the EU from the UK in each of the last three years, broken down into (1) temperature controlled, (2) unitised, and (3) bulk; what were the comparative imports from the EU into the UK; and what assessment they have made of the costs and benefits of possible higher tariffs between the EU and the UK after Brexit in the light of those figures.

lord callanan: The Office of National Statistics (ONS) publishes official trade statistics, which are summarised in its annual Balance of Payments Pink Book. The 2017 Pink Book can be found at the following link: https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/nationalaccounts/balanceofpayments/bulletins/unitedkingdombalanceofpaymentsthepinkbook/2017. The ONS has also published figures on trade in goods by commodity split by EU and Non EU countries. These cover the years 2013-16 and the months up to September 2017, and can be found at the following link: https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/nationalaccounts/balanceofpayments/bulletins/unitedkingdombalanceofpaymentsthepinkbook/2017 The Government is undertaking a comprehensive programme of analytical work looking at the implications of UK withdrawal from the EU. We are examining all areas of the UK economy and seeking input from a wide range of businesses and industry bodies in order to inform our negotiations with the EU. However, Parliament has previously voted not to release information that would be prejudicial to our negotiating position. 



ONS Balance of Payments Pink Book
(PDF Document, 3.67 MB)

Brexit: Gibraltar

baroness hooper: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to protect Gibraltar's special position as the only UK Overseas Territory within the EU,following the transitional arrangements outlined in paragraph 5 of the Annex to the Recommendation for a Council Decision (COM (2017) 830 final).

lord callanan: We are clear that Gibraltar is covered by our exit negotiations and we are committed to fully involving them as we leave the EU together. As the Prime Minister said on 18 December, we are not going to exclude Gibraltar from our negotiations for either the implementation period or the agreement for the future. We are entering into these negotiations on behalf of the whole UK family, and will take account of the particular interests of Gibraltar and its unique relationship with the EU.

EU Law

lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many pieces of EU legislation have become law in the UK since 1973.

lord callanan: There is no precise figure for the number of pieces of EU legislation which have been adopted during the UK’s membership of the EU. The Government estimates that around 12,000 directly applicable EU Regulations and 8,000 domestic regulations – 20,000 pieces of law – have been implemented while we have been members of the EU.

UK Trade with EU

lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatestimate they have made of the total tariffs which (1) EU exporters would pay to the UK, and (2) UK exporters would pay to the EU, under World Trade Organisation rules.

lord callanan: If the UK were to leave the EU without alternative trading arrangements in place, WTO rules would require that trade between the UK and the EU would be subject to Most-Favoured Nation (MFN) treatment for goods and services. The total MFN tariffs which would be paid by UK exporters to the EU, and EU exporters to the UK, would depend on the specific MFN tariffs applied on the products traded and on the future value of trade between the UK and EU. The value of trade between the UK and the EU would in turn depend on a range of factors including how UK and EU firms and consumers might respond to any tariffs. We want the UK to have the greatest possible tariff- and barrier-free trade in goods and services with our European neighbours.

UK Trade with EU

lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of (1) EU jobs which are involved inexports to the UK from other EU member states, and (2) UK jobswhich are involved inUK exports to other EU member states.

lord callanan: The Government is undertaking a comprehensive programme of analytical work looking at the implications of UK withdrawal from the EU. We are examining all areas of the UK economy and seeking input from a wide range of businesses and industry bodies in order to inform our negotiations with the EU. The Government is committed to negotiating a deep and special partnership with the European Union to get the very best deal for businesses and citizens. We want a bold and ambitious free trade agreement, greater in scope than any before it, that allows British companies the maximum freedom to trade with and operate within EU markets, and that lets European business do the same in Britain. The Government is conducting a wide-ranging programme of analysis and we have been clear that we will not disclose any material at a time that could affect the UK’s position in these negotiations. Parliament has previously voted not to release information that would be prejudicial to our negotiating position.

Brexit

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to incorporate representatives from industry sectors in the process of negotiating both transition and long-term deals.

lord callanan: The Government has met and continues to meet with businesses from every sector of the economy, to hear industry views on opportunities and key points to inform our negotiating positions. Industry representatives also have regular opportunities to input their views at both the Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Council and the Business Advisory Group, which is chaired by the Chancellor, Business Secretary and Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union. The Government is pursuing an implementation period based on the existing structure of EU rules and regulations, to provide certainty and continuity to business and so that businesses only need to make one set of changes as we move to our future partnership. Now that we are into phase two, we are confident we can make rapid progress.

Department for International Trade

Overseas Trade

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measuresthey will take to replace trading deals with non-EU countries and to ensure that those dealsare in effect on Brexit day.

baroness fairhead: As set out in the Trade White Paper, published last October, the Government is committed to securing continuity in the effect of existing EU free trade agreements and other EU preferential arrangements. We are discussing with our trading partners how this continuity is best achieved and discussions are progressing positively. Our approach will also take into consideration the outcome of the UK-EU negotiations on an implementation period.

Department of Health

Doctors: Migrant Workers

baroness masham of ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to ensure the retention of doctors who work in the NHS, and (2) for recruiting more overseas doctors, after the UK leaves the EU.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Department continues to monitor and analyse overall staffing levels across the National Health Service and is working across Government to ensure that there will continue to be sufficient staff to deliver the high quality services that patients rely on following the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union. The Government hugely values the contribution of the 12,000 EU27 doctors working in the NHS. The Prime Minister has publicly reassured all EU citizens who have chosen to make their homes and livelihoods in the UK, that she wants them to stay. Furthermore, the agreement announced on the 8 December between the UK and the EU Commission delivered on the Prime Minister’s number one priority and safeguarded the rights of people who have built their lives in the UK and EU, following the UK’s exit from the EU. In addition, NHS Improvement is leading a programme of work to improve staff retention in trusts across England and bring down the leaver rates in the NHS by 2020.  The Government is committed to ensuring that the NHS is able to meet future demand and this is why from September 2019, the Government will fund up to 1,500 additional medical training places in England each year. This is in addition to the 6,000 medical school places currently available in England.The Department has also submitted evidence to the Migration Advisory Committee to ensure the position of staff in health and social care is fully understood and taken into account as part of their evidence gathering into the impact of the UK’s exit from the EU on the UK labour market. We will continue to engage with the Home Office to secure a future migration system which gives the health and care system the flexibility to meet future and growing demand.

NHS: Drugs

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measuresthey are taking to prevent medicine shortages and disruptions in dealing with public health crises following Brexit.

lord o'shaughnessy: Maintaining continuity of medicine supply is a key part of ensuring everyone has continued access to the medicines they need on day one of the European Union exit and thereafter. The United Kingdom is fully committed to continuing the close working relationship with our European partners. As part of our ambition for a broad and dynamic co-operation, the UK would like to find a way to continue to collaborate with the EU, in the interests of public health and safety; including to ensure that cross-border trade with the EU is as frictionless as possible. This will be part of the broader negotiations of the UK’s future relations with the EU.